The Chronic Pain Tool Box: Effective Interventions for Treating Complex Chronic Pain by Bruce Singer

Bruce F. Singer, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist and nationally recognized expert on psychosocial treatments for chronic pain and substance use disorders. He was the founding director of the Chronic Pain and Recovery Center at Silver Hill Hospital, one of the most prestigious psychiatric hospitals in the United States. He maintains a private practice and consults internationally with treatment centers.

Dr. Singer sits on the Medical Advisory Board of the U.S. Pain Foundation and on the Board of Chronic Pain Anonymous where he is an outspoken advocate for helping individuals with chronic pain obtain effective treatment. An inspirational speaker known for his creativity and sense of humor, Dr. Singer has presented at Grand Rounds and pain and addiction conferences throughout the United States. He is the author of numerous professional articles on psychosocial treatments for chronic pain and substance abuse, and his guided meditations and educational videos are readily available on the web. He recently authored Black Duck Moments Every Day, a book of daily affirmations for people with chronic conditions as well as 99 Black Duck Moments, an eBook based on his original memes and videos.

Speaker Disclosures:

Financial: Bruce Singer is in private practice. He receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc.

Non-financial: Bruce Singer is a member of the Medical Advisory Board for the U.S. Pain Foundation.

The Chronic Pain Dilemma

• Pain and its impact on society
  • Neurophysiology and psychology of pain
  • Benefits and the risks of opioids
  • Pain and the family
• Complex Chronic Pain
  • The progression from acute to chronic pain (physical and emotional factors)
  • Chronic pain syndrome and its constellation of symptoms
  • Conventional treatments and why they fail
• Pain vs suffering: What are we really treating?
  • The 5 big “negative” emotions that magnify pain
  • The number one rule in pain management
  • Strategies to un-attach pain from suffering
• Assessment
  • The Interview
    • Validation and the therapeutic alliance
    • Collect a biopsychosocial history
    • Co-occurring disorders and other risk factors
  • The Battery
    • Useful self-report measures
    • Interpretation of results for case conceptualization
    • Effective treatment planning
• The Chronic Pain Toolbox
  • Best Practice Guidelines and treatment options
    • APA Division 12 recommendations
    • CDC and government recommendations
    • Empathy and the power of the therapeutic alliance
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
    • Unleash “black ducks” to eat up ANTs
    • Harness the power of client’s own words
    • Recalibrate Pain: a cognitive approach
    • Mindfulness
    • Why mindfulness is essential for the treatment of chronic pain
    • 4 creative interventions to help clients see “What is NOT wrong with me”
    • The FAR approach and how it resonates with clients
    • Limitations of the psychotherapeutic approach
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
    • Cognitive defusion and how to use it with clients
    • The Values Compass and how to help clients find their True North
    • Develop motivation and commitment
    • Limitations of the psychotherapeutic approach
  • Gratefulness
    • The hidden power of gratefulness and its evidence for chronic pain
    • 3 gratitude interventions that directly impact the pain experience
  • More Tools You Can Use
    • Include the family in treatment
    • Effective sleep hygiene
    • Multidisciplinary treatments: when and how to use them
    • The T.E.M.P.L.E.S.S hand-out you can share with clients
    • Patient advocate resources
    • Recovery resources

More information about Medical:

Medicine is the science and practice of establishing the diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.
Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness.
Contemporary medicine applies biomedical sciences, biomedical research, genetics, and medical technology to diagnose, treat, and prevent injury and disease,
typically through pharmaceuticals or surgery, but also through therapies as diverse as psychotherapy, external splints and traction, medical devices, biologics, and ionizing radiation, amongst others.

Medicine has been around for thousands of years, during most of which it was an art (an area of skill and knowledge) frequently having connections to the religious and
philosophical beliefs of local culture. For example, a medicine man would apply herbs and say prayers for healing, or an ancient philosopher and physician would apply bloodletting according to the theories of humorism.
In recent centuries, since the advent of modern science, most medicine has become a combination of art and science (both basic and applied, under the umbrella of medical science).
While stitching technique for sutures is an art learned through practice, the knowledge of what happens at the cellular and molecular level in the tissues being stitched arises through science.